Page 60 of A Lonely Road
Jake caught me in a waltz hold and whisked us up the pathway to the front door. “Indeed. You can lodge your complaint in person if you’d like, because Sam invited us both for dinner tomorrow. I told her I’d let her know, so if you’d rather not, we can stay home anddance,” he said, bouncing his eyebrows.
“You, sir, are incorrigible,” I told him haughtily, but all of my tension over lunch dissipated as he unlocked the door. “But go ahead and tell your sister we’d be delighted to attend. You can show me your moves after I’ve been a productive adult today, how about that?”
“I’ll hold you to it,” he murmured, kissing me soundly before he jogged upstairs to change out of his dress clothes.
I couldn’t help but smile after him for a long moment, then I grabbed my laptop from the kitchen table and curled up on the leather couch in the Dude Lair. Jake returned in his torn jeans and a blue t-shirt that made his eyes pop vividly against his tan skin, dropped one more lingering kiss on my lips, anddisappeared outside to give Baby a more thorough inspection. I shook my head indulgently at his enthusiasm for fixing up my sad little car, but I knew Baby was in good hands.
Unlike any of my work sessions over at the apartment, the words flowed easily here at Jake’s house. Even the quiet didn’t present its usual—or unusual, rather—level of distraction.
As my fingers flew across the keyboard, I wondered why I was able to focus so intensely here. It occurred to me that I’d never tried to work from Jake’s house. Even on days I'd skipped going to The Mermaid, I always retreated to the apartment to work. It was no accident that I’d chosen a solitary career, one that I could do from anywhere in the world, but finding a place where I could be particularly productive was a rarity.
I waved Jake off when he stopped in to tell me he was going out to pick up a few parts for the car, though I vaguely remembered him saying he’d lock the door behind him and asking me to keep my phone nearby in case I needed him.
A text from him came through sometime later, informing me that he was back and working in the driveway. I tore myself from my work to send him a selfie for encouragement, making sure I leaned forward far enough to display a tiny glimpse of cleavage, then laughed to myself when he sent back a row of fire emojis.
It was amazing how light my heart felt just then, how peaceful. Not even my father’s involvement in landing me in Spruce Hill could detract from the fact that this place, these people, had changed my life for the better.
Suddenly, my words to my father came back to me and I let my hands hover over the laptop keys as they echoed through the silent room.
Because I feel safe here.
I'd allowed myself to not pay attention to the crowd at The Mermaid that night because I felt safe—safe in Spruce Hill, safe around Jake, safe with my own thoughts. Now, it was like I was finally allowing myself to ignore the silence that had nagged at me for so many years.
By the time Jake came inside, I'd sent off two finished projects to clients and translated more of the novel I was working on than I’d ever finished in a single day. My neck was beginning to ache, so I closed the laptop and set it aside when Jake peeked in at me from the archway into the kitchen.
“How’s it going?” he asked.
“Incredibly well, actually. I can’t even remember the last time I got this much done. How’s Baby?”
Jake smiled. “She’s got heart, and soon she’ll have enough new parts to have some guts, too.” He saw me rubbing the back of my neck and held out a hand. “Come on, that’s my job. You’ve been a productive, responsible adult all afternoon, now it’s time to let me take care of you.”
Rising, I took his hand and let him lead me straight to the master bathroom. He threaded his fingers through my hair, massaging my neck and scalp as the tub filled with steaming water. I rested my forehead against his chest and hummed with appreciation.
“God, I love your hair,” he said softly. “So thick and soft. It always smells like fresh fruit.”
“Pears. It’s my shampoo and body wash set.”
“It’s unbearably sexy.” While his thumbs dug gently into the muscles of my neck, he pressed his nose to the top of my head.
I scoffed, but didn’t move. “And you with the tousled curls and adimpleare fighting fair, I’m sure.”
He laughed against my hair. “We’ll call it a tie then.”
After another minute, he reluctantly drew away to turn off the water, then returned to lift my shirt over my head. We finished undressing in easy silence and stepped into the tub. Jake positioned me in front of him this time so he could continue easing the aching muscles in my upper back with his strong fingers.
I melted under his hands, the sensation more intoxicating than any drink he could serve up from behind a bar. Little by little, I relaxed further into him, until it was almost impossible to tell where his body ended and mine began.
With a deep sigh, I shifted, turning sideways so I was curled up against his chest. “Thank you,” I murmured.
“For the massage? I consider it my duty and my pleasure, ma’am.”
“No,” I said, lacing my fingers with his under the water, “for not letting my dad scare you off.”
His lips feathered across my forehead. “No one’s going to scare me away from you. I’m completely hooked.”
“Good, my plan worked.”
“Phenomenally. By the way, why does your father call you Bear?”
